ADES Holding Seeks to Raise $1.2b from IPO in Tadawul

ADES Holding Seeks to Raise $1.2b from IPO in Tadawul
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ADES Holding Seeks to Raise $1.2b from IPO in Tadawul

ADES Holding Seeks to Raise $1.2b from IPO in Tadawul

Oil and gas driller ADES Holding, backed by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, began marketing its initial public offering on Sunday, seeking 12.50 riyals ($3.33) to 13.50 riyals a share.

ADES plans to raise as much as 4.6 billion riyals ($1.2 billion) from the public-share sale.

The total stake being offered is 30% of the company.

ADES IPO is set to be Saudi Arabia’s biggest, according to Bloomberg.

The book-building process for this IPO is open from Sept. 10-14.

The public share sale would comprise 338.7 million ordinary shares, resulting in a free float of 30 percent after the sale of a mix of existing and newly issued shares.

The company is selling 237.1 million new shares in the IPO.

Selling shareholders PIF, ADES Investments Holdings and Zamil Group Investment will collectively sell 101.6 million existing shares in proportion to their shareholding.

ADES will also issue 237,103,128 new shares.

EFG Holding’s EFG Hermes, Goldman Sachs Group, JPMorgan Chase & Co., and SNB Capital are financial advisers and global coordinators for the IPO.

ADES is a leading oil and gas drilling and production services provider in the Middle East and North Africa region. It has a fleet of 85 rigs and operations across seven countries, including India where three rigs will be operating this year, according to its website.

The company’s revenue from contracts with customers reached SAR 1.98 billion in the first half of the year compared to SAR 2.5 billion during FY 2022.

The company’s total backlog as of 30 June 2023 is SAR 27.6 billion.



French Companies to Inject New Investments in Egyptian Market

Hossam Heiba, Chairman of the Investment Authority and Free Zones, signs a memorandum of understanding with the French Investment Promotion Agency in the presence of Hassan Al-Khatib, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade. (Egyptian Investment Authority)
Hossam Heiba, Chairman of the Investment Authority and Free Zones, signs a memorandum of understanding with the French Investment Promotion Agency in the presence of Hassan Al-Khatib, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade. (Egyptian Investment Authority)
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French Companies to Inject New Investments in Egyptian Market

Hossam Heiba, Chairman of the Investment Authority and Free Zones, signs a memorandum of understanding with the French Investment Promotion Agency in the presence of Hassan Al-Khatib, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade. (Egyptian Investment Authority)
Hossam Heiba, Chairman of the Investment Authority and Free Zones, signs a memorandum of understanding with the French Investment Promotion Agency in the presence of Hassan Al-Khatib, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade. (Egyptian Investment Authority)

Several French companies have committed to making new investments in the Egyptian market across various sectors, including transportation, food, and pharmaceuticals.

According to a statement by Egypt’s General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI) on Saturday, companies such as Lesaffre (in yeast production), Alstom (transport), Sanofi (pharmaceuticals), and Decathlon (specialized retail in sportswear and equipment) have pledged to invest further in Egypt. These plans aim to leverage the significant improvements in the country’s investment infrastructure and legislative framework.

French investments in Egypt currently stand at approximately €7 billion (around $7.7 billion), distributed across 180 companies in various sectors. The companies’ commitment to expansion was made during a promotional visit to France by GAFI CEO Hossam Heiba, accompanied by Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Hassan Al-Khatib.

The visit included participation in the Egyptian-French Business Forum held in Paris and Marseille, with the attendance of French Minister of Foreign Trade Sophie Primas and more than 350 French companies.

The Egyptian officials also held meetings with John Cockerill, a leader in hydrogen production equipment, representatives of bpi France, a French investment bank and the chairman of CMA CGM, a French logistics and maritime company and a key development partner of Egypt.

Heiba noted that Egypt has successfully attracted a significant number of global and French companies, benefiting from its strategic position as an investment and export hub for Africa. He emphasized that his country has maintained its position as the top African destination for investments in 2022 and 2023, with expectations of continuing this trend in the coming years. This is further supported by the record-breaking foreign direct investment, which reached $46.1 billion in the 2023-2024 fiscal year.

Additionally, Heiba signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the French Investment Promotion Agency, which aims to sustain investment cooperation between Egypt and France, focusing on providing investor support, fostering partnerships between the two countries' business communities, and sharing data on target sectors and legislative developments. The agreement also covers the organization of investment promotion events and exploratory business tours.

The French side highlighted the substantial investments made by French companies in Egypt, particularly in telecommunications, healthcare, and cosmetics. Companies such as Valeo, Capgemini, Atos, and Orange Business Services operate in Egypt’s IT and communications sector, while Servier, AXA, AXA One Health, Sanofi, and Air Liquide have made significant contributions to the healthcare sector. L'Oréal is also a major player in the cosmetics industry.

This promotional visit is part of Egypt’s efforts aimed at expanding investment ties with Europe, following the 2024 Egypt-European Investment Conference held in Cairo in June, and the March 2023 announcement of an enhanced strategic partnership between Egypt and the European Union.